A Geographer in the desert - Experiencing Dunhuang in the mid-1990's

Trying to climb uphill proved difficult, at times leaving me breathless. The sand so dry, the grains so polished that it appeared impossible to secure a strong foothold. It seemed two steps forward before sliding backwards. Reaching a ridge it did feel easier to walk towards the summit. The view, the panorama, was of great sweeping ridges rising higher, joining up classic barchan dunes as though straight out of a geography textbook. I was alone on this sea of sand, bordering the Taklamakan and quietly dreaming I was an early explorer, ‘Bruce of the Desert’! No sound apart from the crunch of my boots, no birds, no obvious signs of animal life. Then in the distance, almost out of the Silk Road days , a camel ‘caravan’ ascended a distant slope - it was carrying visitors on their desert adventure. Between mountains of dry sand appeared a small area of greenery and water, to which I vowed to reach. From the ridge, I ran and slid while trying to create some ‘singing’ sounds, sadly to no avail!